Hello,

Preparing for civils really requires a lot of time and efforts. So we can go for BA general course because in BA honours course you really need to study a lot. But if you can manage you can do BA hons too. It's completely up to you. Do whatever you are comfortable with .

Regarding the courses both courses are good. You can take either of them. Both courses on Political science and History are interesting and many career opportunities. So do whatever suits you.

Good luck.

For Mains, because it is an optional subject, you can choose among any of the optional subjects available. There is no criteria for selecting a certain optional subject. So o do your BA, you can still select Honours or  Political Science combinations . You can select any subject that interests you or make you be acquainted with it. Remember that this subject should not bore you but make you think out of the box. And the books for preparation should be easily available. Now,UPSC is a 3 stage  selection process involving Prelims, Mains and Interview which tests your personality test. Prelims has 2 Papers namely General Studies and CSAT.

General Studies has Current Events, History of India and Indian National Movement, Indian and World Geography, Indian Polity and Governance, Economic and Social Development, Environmental Ecology, Biodiversity and Climate Change and General Science.

CSAT has Comprehension, Interpersonal skills including communication skills, Logical Reasoning and Analytical ability, Decision making and problem solving, General Mental Ability, Basic numeracy and Data Interpretation.

If you take History, Geo and Political science that will cover the Prelims subjects and so it might help you in your preparation.